Pupdates
6 Weeks Old & The Magic of KONG
This week, my focus was on getting the puppies accustomed to afternoon naps in the crate and introducing them to eating exclusively from hollow chew toys. My chew toys of choice are extra-small Kongs. Each Kong holds approximately 1/8 of a cup of Purina Pro Plan puppy food. Currently, I give each pup six Kongs per day, plus one cup of puppy mush for dinner. Poppy is also still nursing several times a day.
The pups love the Kongs and typically empty them within about 10 minutes. As they grow, the size of the Kong that best suits them will also increase.
Several articles have been written about the benefits of feeding puppies exclusively from hollow chew toys, but I didn’t have a mentor to guide me through the details. It was a strange concept for me to grasp, but it sparked my curiosity for several reasons.
• Would it be possible for each pup in a litter of ten to get enough food daily from a Kong?
• Could I eliminate feeding bowls altogether?
• Why would I do this?
• Could this method have a significant impact on a dog’s ability to navigate the human world in a way that makes life easier for their owners?
• Could using hollow chew toys for feeding prevent destructive chewing, recreational barking, and other hyperactive behaviors?
It all sounded a little daunting, but the potential benefits were too significant to ignore. The only downside was the extra effort required to stuff approximately 60 Kongs per day. Easy. I placed my order for ten Kongs and eagerly awaited their arrival.
I’m happy to say that my pups adapted to this feeding method quickly, and within the week, I felt confident enough to transition completely to feeding from Mom and the Kongs. The whole dynamic around food in the pen has changed. Mealtime is no longer a quick event with faces down and little plump bodies jostling for food bowls. Instead, it has become a relaxed, drawn-out experience that combines collaborative play, problem-solving, snacking, chewing, and cleaning up.
It is an absolute delight to watch them spilling out the contents and then foraging to eat every piece, one by one. At the end of it all, I have 13 empty Kongs and a clean floor. They clearly LOVE eating this way.
I am fascinated by the possibilities of this feeding method for puppies and dogs. It’s easy to imagine that this activity will benefit them throughout their lives, providing them with an engaging puzzle or pastime to immerse themselves in and enjoy. By comparison, a dog bowl now seems quite boring to me.
For next steps, this will be an excellent tool in week 7, when all of the pups will sleep in their own crates and may need a small distraction while adjusting to being alone.
Please read the information below from Dunbar Academy, which explains the benefits of Kong feeding. Dunbar Academy has many interesting and helpful videos on YouTube. You may be surprised by the impact of this small change in how you feed your dog—it certainly surprised me.
I love it! I hope you do too!
P.S. They are growing quickly. I am expecting a delivery tomorrow of 10 medium size Kongs.
Why Use Hollow Chew Toys to feed Puppies
The information I have included below is from the Dunbar Academy Training Program.
“Good Habits are just as hard to break as bad habits and so, establish good habits from the outset.”
Key points
- As soon as puppies start eating semi-solid food, feed them only from hollow chew toys.
- Feeding from chew toys reward the pup for chewing the chewy and lying down quietly.
- Chewing a chew toy is a healthy habit for when a dog is left alone.
- Bowl feeding is physiologically and psychologically unhealthy for dogs
Having a strong chew toy habit quickly and effectively reprograms puppies’ brains and behaviour. As soon as puppies start eating semi-solid food, feed them only from hollow chew toys, such as Kongs, to teach them to thoroughly enjoy playing with chew toys and to settle down calmly and quietly.
Kong-feeding prepares puppies for being left at home alone, ensures equal food delivery and encourages slower eating. Additionally:
1. Each piece of kibble extracted from the chew toy rewards the pup for chewing the chew toy (not other items.) Make sure to stroke the pups while they chew chew toys so they do not become object guarders. In no time at all they will have a strong chew toy-habit and become a “Kongaholic.”
2. Each piece of kibble reads the pup for lying down (being calmer) and for not barking (being quiet.) This is an amazing tool that prevents pups from developing destructive chewing, recreational barking, and other hyperactive habits.
Week 3: Potty Training Gamechanger
Week 3 was an intensely busy time with around-the-clock potty training. Now, at the start of Week 4 (Merry Christmas!), I’m thrilled to report that my efforts are paying off! After a week of interrupted sleep and constant daytime surveillance, over 90% of the poops are now making it into the potty tray (near misses included). The pups are clearly beginning to consistently use their designated toilet area for both peeing and pooping.
Admittedly, they still have moments where they drop and pee wherever is convenient, but these instances are becoming less frequent. I’ve been diligent (though not perfect!) about keeping their tiny bladders empty, and with 10 pups, failure simply isn’t an option!
How It All Started
At the beginning of Week 3, it became obvious that the pups had chosen a specific spot in the whelping box as their toilet. Clearly, these three-week-old pups were ready for potty training! I noticed them waking up from naps, leaving the puppy pile, and heading to the opposite side of the whelping box to do their business. Their behaviour and location selection were duly noted.
Things began changing rapidly. Poppy, their mother, was nursing less as the pups’ teeth started coming in. With their growing appetites came more waste. While Poppy was still doing a great job cleaning up after her pups, I knew her role in this department would likely end within a week or so.
Running a tight ship, I couldn’t allow 10 puppies to turn the entire play space into a toilet. So, I immediately removed the heating pad they had been using as a makeshift toilet and replaced it with a litter tray. Potty Training 101 had officially begun!
The Training Routine
At the start of Week 3, I implemented a system. When the pups were napping, I’d sit beside their nest and select one puppy at a time for a cuddle. Once the pup began to wake, I placed them on the potty tray. If they tried to leave without using the potty, I gently repositioned them in the center of the tray and waited for them to start sniffing around.
And then… success! They quickly began to pee. Each success was met with enthusiastic praise: “GOOD PUPPY!” followed by some loving pats. The successful pup was then returned to the pile, and the next pup got their personalized potty session. I repeated this process throughout the day and during any overnight activity.
During their active playtimes, I stationed myself in the middle of the action, watching for signs that a pup needed to use the potty tray. There were plenty of misses and only a few early successes. However, I discovered an important pattern: when one pup goes potty, others often need to follow.
As time passed, the number of wet spots on the floor began to diminish, while more evidence of success appeared on the potty tray and supplemental potty pads. I praised the entire litter for their efforts while continuing to clean up accidents. It’s a labour-intensive process that requires constant vigilance, but progress was evident.
Poop Training: A Predictable Process
Poop training turned out to be a bit more predictable than pee training. After a nap or feeding, a pup placed in the potty area would often back up or spin in circles—a sure sign that poop was on the way. Sometimes it happened quickly, while other times it was a long, dramatic process as the pup figured out the sensation and ideal positioning.
If a pup left the potty area before finishing, I gently relocated them back to the tray. This might take a few attempts, but it almost always resulted in success. After a few successful attempts, the entire puppy pen became noticeably tidier. With 10 pups to train, this felt like a monumental victory!
A Rewarding Milestone
By the end of Week 3, the pups earned a larger play area where they could explore new objects, including a few open-door crates. This milestone was not just about tidiness; it also set the foundation for their future habits.
This potty training journey is teaching my puppies to consistently go potty in the same place every time—a place separate from where they sleep. This foundational habit will make their transition to new potty rules in their forever homes much smoother.
Additionally, if new puppy parents choose to use crates during naptime or relaxation, this training will significantly reduce the number of potty accidents in their homes.
Stay tuned—there’s much more to come!
Puppy Stimulation and Socialization: From Birth to 2 Weeks
Introducing The Puppy Room!
When Poppy’s litter arrived, my first priority was ensuring that both Poppy and her pups were safe and off to a strong start. After a long journey home from the Graham Animal Hospital (130 km away), my focus for the next 48 hours was making sure each pup received a good dose of maternal colostrum.
Colostrum, produced only by the mother, is crucial for the pups during their first 24-48 hours. It provides essential nutrients and passive immunity, giving them the best chance at a healthy start. My biggest task was ensuring all 10 pups nursed every two hours around the clock during this critical window. With a little organization and a lot of sleep deprivation, I managed to keep everyone on track.
By Sunday, December 5th, the pups turned two weeks old, and I’m happy to report that everyone is thriving! Here’s what’s been happening in the Puppy Room:
All pups are nursing well, gaining weight steadily, and showing no concerns. The males are larger and heavier than the females.
Poppy is a superstar mom! She’s diligently helping her pups eliminate waste since they can’t do this on their own yet. She takes her job very seriously.
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and regular weighing were done from days 3-16 (except nail trimming day). Speaking of nails… they grow fast! Trimming them is an essential but nerve-wracking task.
Major milestone: All pups doubled their birth weight within 10 days!
Mom & Family Life:
Poppy still enjoys daily trail walks and spending time with us when she’s off duty. She has free range of the house and is currently eating 6-8 cups of performance kibble per day. (She wasn’t a fan of the higher-fat puppy kibble we transitioned her to during pregnancy.)
Auntie Corabelle loves licking the pups, while Honeybee is more reserved but always comes running if anyone is distressed.
Developmental Milestones:
Eyes started opening on Day 9!
They’ve begun wobbling around on their feet—adorable! (Check out the Instagram video.)
Lots of naps in between!
Next Steps:
Individual holding and stroking sessions have started.
Preparing to expand the whelping box, add a potty area (pee pads and alfalfa trays for pellet training), and introduce daily tactile experiences with toys.
Visitors can start planning to come by next week!
Thinking I might even move back to my own bed soon… (Yes, I’ve been using that daybed in The Puppy Room daily to ensure optimal 24/7 care for these perfect precious puppies!)
Poppy’s Whelping Story
The long awaited F1b Poppy litter is here! I am happy to announce that with the help of the wonderful staff at the Graham Animal Hospital, Poppy safely delivered 8 male and 2 female puppies! Both heads and tails (palettes and rectums) are as they should be!
Most birth stories have a bit of drama and the arrival of this special litter is no exception. My plan was perfect: breed two very well paired dogs, estimate the due date, verifiy pregnancy by ultrasound/vet, book x-ray, prepare whelping area and deliver a spectacular litter in the comfort of my own home!
As with “best laid plans,” one always has to be prepared to ditch them and do whatever is necessary to make a high risk situation a low risk situation. What was perceived by me to be a relatively benign sign of early labour was in fact a red flag by the vet managing Poppy’s pregnancy. The “shivering episode” the night before was not deemed benign, but rather, symptomatic of a condition that could prevent Poppy from going into labour in a timely fashion. It was determined that we were suddenly at risk of a situation that could put the health of the mom and litter in peril. The dreaded “emergency c-section” was now a possibility.
It was time to make the 130 km trek from Cobourg to Toronto to pick up Poppy’s human and head another 45 minutes north to the reproductive specialty veterinary clinic. Overdue Poppy wouldn’t likely go into labour in the car, especially because it was likely something hormonal was preventing her from doing so.
After a few stressful moments in Toronto traffic, Poppy, her human and I were off to the vet clinic to sort things out. It began to dawn on me that one way or another, Poppy was going to deliver her litter very soon. 10 minutes from the clinic, Poppy’s human reported that Poppy was leaking clear fluid. 5 minutes from the clinic, it was deemed she was starting to contract. Upon arrival, she was walking funny and clearly none of the tests we had come for were relevant. We were led to our own room with the vet and 2 technical assistants. Perfect Poppy calmly delivered the first of 10 puppies. After that, one puppy after another arrived in quick succession, and in 2 hours she was done. The vet claimed it was the fasted delivery the clinic had experienced.
Way to go Poppy! Who doesn’t like a bit of Sunday night drama? As I like to say, all is well that ends well.
Countdown to Puppy Arrival
With less than 2 weeks to go before the new puppies arrive the whelping area is coming along nicely! Everyone is healthy and looking forward to the vet check-up at the Graham Animal Hospital on November 18th. At this appointment we will learn how many pups we are expecting and discuss our emergency plan.
The fireplace is clean and ready to work around the clock, the comfy sofa/day bed is in place (very important as I like to sleep beside the mother and pups for a while to ensure everyone is o.k.) Linens are washed and organized as are tools and supplies, including a heating pad. The TV is located to provide excellent site lines from the whelping box which will come in handy in a few weeks and the pups are starting to learn from their environment.
The whelping box will soon be expanded to twice the size with access to the indoor puppy play area. Last night, during one of my wakeful moments, I realised that it was going to be difficult to get the concrete floor temperature up to the requisite 29-32 degrees celsius. Maintaining the ambient room temperature would be easy but the floor needed work. The bottom of the whelping box needed to be raised off of the concrete floor and insulated. Fortunately, I have super handy and kind husband and that project is now done.
Another busy day done with many more to follow!
